18 Very Common Everyday European Things That Would Be Considered Luxuries In The US
I think a lot of Americans would agree that anytime we visit Europe, at some point or another during our vacation, we think to ourselves, Okay, these Europeans really are doing this right! Whether it's the food, the work-life balance, or the cities that are designed with walking or public transportation in mind, there are things that really are better in many, many countries across Europe.
And recently, Reddit user u/meryse touched upon that very topic when they asked, "What do Europeans have in everyday life that you consider a luxury in America?"
Well, lots of Americans chimed in to share the common European things, both big and small, that they thought would be a luxury here in the States. Below are some of the top and best answers:
1."No gaps in bathroom stall doors — the ones between the door and the frame."
"Blew my damn mind the first time I was in Europe. I just hadn’t even considered the possibility."
2."Automatically having four to six weeks of vacation at time of hire."
"My current company (US) gives 24 (25 every other year) paid days off as well as six federal holidays to all employees. Before I worked there, in 10 years of working, I never had more than five paid days off in a year at one job, and no paid time off at any of the others."
3."Quality of work life."
"Quality of added benefits associated with work too. In Europe, people get great benefits from the get-go, versus people in the States who have to stay with a company for years to get similar benefits."
4."No high-fructose corn syrup in everything!!! Like, you don't even need to check the label for it."
"Canada is also going down this road. I have family from Europe here now, and I have to teach them to read labels because sugar content is insane in North America. It's hard to find bread that's actually healthy here."
5."Those towel-warmer racks and heated bathroom floors."
6."Extremely strong consumer protection laws. A bare-minimum quality/duration expectation of all services and products. I love this one because different companies or foreign products try to circumvent this all the time in Europe, and they always lose."
7."'Bum guns.' I want bidets to be widely accepted in the US."
"Just order one and install it — doesn't need to be accepted by anyone else."
8."Can’t believe it’s not more prominent, but the right to privacy, and recently digital privacy. The General Data Protection Regulation is an excellent piece of legislation."
9."Fresh-baked bread for reasonable prices that you can get within walking distance of your home and isn't full of preservatives."
10."Decent-quality chocolate available in almost any random corner shop."
11."Real farmers markets."
12."Good public transport outside of main cities. Germans in particular love to complain about their railway, Deutsche Bahn (and rightfully so), but compared with the USA, it's just so much more versatile."
"Yeah, I really wish we had better public transportation in the Midwest. I'd go without a car in a heartbeat if it was feasible."
13."Time. Time to eat in a restaurant without being shoved out. Time to sip coffee at a café. Time to spend with new children. Time to go on vacation. Seems like an unattainable luxury to this American."
14."Can't speak for all of Europe, but workers rights. WTF is 'getting fired on the day'? Or quitting, for that matter? You get three months here."
"Had to fire someone on my US team, with her newborn on her arm; couldn't even say how fucking wrong it was, for fear of getting sued. Read three sentences and put the phone down. Absolutely horrible, and apparently the norm in the US."
15."Food that doesn’t have a ton of artificial additives and nonfood ingredients that make you sick. I never realized that was what was causing my stomach problems until I went on vacation in Europe and within a day had no problems at all. And they came back a day after I returned. Europeans can make great food, even packaged junk food, with just real food ingredients. Why can’t we?"
16."Affordable high-speed internet. Like 1 gigabyte/second (up and down!) for under 20 euros per month. With negligible installation fees. And it includes over 100 cable channels."
17."I'm just going to assume 'really good cheese' is a legitimate answer."
"Definitely! Quality cheeses, cured meats, and bread are expensive luxuries that I occasionally splurge on as a treat in the US, but they're available for a couple of euros in central Europe."
18.And lastly: "Maternity leave and healthcare come to mind — in particular, affordable healthcare and maternity leave being equally available to everyone. I know in the US, some people have healthcare and some companies offer paid maternity leave, but it's not the standard."
"I know someone who works 50-plus hours a week, makes just enough to support his small family (child with special needs), and he can't afford to treat his hepatitis C because the treatment (12 weeks of pills) costs more than he earns in 18 months. He can't afford to pay for health insurance (before a-holes start judging, he was born with hepatitis)."
You can read the full thread of responses on r/NoStupidQuestions.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
